All about makarapas

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MAKARAPAS

South Africa fans wearing makarapa and giant glasses

A lekarapa (plural makarapa) is a hand-cut and hand-painted hard hat worn by sports fans. They belong to the typical South African football fan's supporters gear, and are increasingly popular with fans of other sports. Sport fans spend hours to sculpt and paint their makarapa in the colours and emblem of their clubs or country. Besides the makarapa, fans also wear giant glasses or have shields with team slogans and logos. It is generally accepted that Alfred "Lux" Baloyi is the originator of the makarapa as a fan gear or tool as it is known today, and is the owner of the 'Original Baloyi Makarapa' trademark. Many makarapa artists in South Africa make a modest living from designing makarapa, selling them to sports fans of all kinds. With the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the international profile and availability of the makarapa has increased greatly.

HISTORY

The origin of the term "makarapa" goes back to the start of mining in South Africa. The word makarapa (singular lekarapa) literally meant "scrapers", referring to men who would leave the rural areas to go to the cities and "scrape" a living in mining and construction work. Upon returning they would be carrying or wearing the hard hats normally used by miners (the majority being migrant workers) and construction workers; eventually the term came to refer to the protective hats themselves.

Alfred A.K.A. "lux" Baloyi claims to have invented the use of the makarapa as we know it after a fan was hit by a bottle missile during a soccer match. He then decided to bring a makarapa to the stadium as a protective device which he later reshaped and re-branded with the colours of his team. The demand was created when people started inquiring about the hat and he began to manufacture and sell them.

Makarapa were present in Zürich at the selection of South Africa to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In September 2009 Sepp Blatter received a lekarapa as a gift during a FIFA inspection.

DESIGN

Makarapa are decorated to serve purposes such as being used as fan articles, an individual artwork as well as a means of promoting one's brand in the stadiums as they attract a lot of media attention. They still also afford the wearer protection from missiles thrown at sporting matches, their original reason for being worn.

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